


The Two Prisoners

by Mantis21



Category: Amphibia (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Confrontations, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, I'm counting it as romantic, My First AO3 Post, Prison, Reconciliation, Romantic-ish? Depends on how you look at it, Sashanne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:07:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26442445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mantis21/pseuds/Mantis21
Summary: After being captured and imprisoned by the toads, Anne is separated from Marcy and the Planters and put in a solitary cell. Her time alone is interrupted when Sasha drops by for a talk...and a deal.
Relationships: Anne Boonchuy & Sasha Waybright
Comments: 8
Kudos: 91





	The Two Prisoners

**Author's Note:**

> First fanfiction here. That's gotta be a life trophy, right?
> 
> Anyway, this story doesn't have an exact place in the timeline, but I imagine it takes place after some hypothetical final conflict between Team Anne and Team Sasha, where the latter wins. The background isn't really important, but if you need that, then there it is. With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy.

Anne sighed as she pressed her back against the rocky walls of her cell. The world outside the bars was dim and dark; only the faintest of fires fed her sight. Long shadows stretched on the ground and walls in front of her, disappearing as swiftly as they came.

“Ignore that,” she told herself. “Don’t worry about shadows. Worry about Marcy and Sprig and Polly and Hop Pop.”

It had been hours since the toads broke them apart, scattering them in different directions. She could still picture the scene as if it were happening right now; Sprig shouting, Polly waving her tiny stubby arms, Grime grinning his shark-like grin…

...and her watching it all happen by his side.

Fury bellowed within her, but all Anne could do now was impotently punch the ground.

All that did was hurt her knuckles.

“Ow, ow, ow!”

She waved her hurt hand and blew on it until her ears perked. She could hear something new outside. She stopped and listened to the sound of boots stomping towards her cell. She stood up as tall as her chains would allow, and watched as, from the inky darkness, two red eyes blinked into existence.

The sound of keys penetrating a lock was followed by the opening of the cell door. Fire erupted from nothing, and a torch was lit, bringing light into the room.

Anne’s blue eyes met Sasha’s crimson.

“Hey Anne~”

Her voice—her whole demeanor—didn’t seem quite right. Sasha had defeated and jailed her, but she didn’t look as thrilled as she should be. Sure, she wore a snide little smile and stood as straight and confident as expected, but there was something about her that signaled to Anne that she wasn’t all that into it.

Anne would've dwelt on that longer if she didn't have more pressing matters at hand.

“Where are the Planters, Sasha?” demanded Anne angrily. Her voice came out raspy, yet unwavering. “Where’s Marcy? I swear to Frog if you hurt any of them—”

“Calm down, Miss superhero, they’re all fine.” Sasha rolled her eyes. “Out of the goodness of our hearts, we decided to let your precious frogs stay together. And I just talked to Marcy, just before I came to you. She seems...just like herself. After we finished talking, right before I stepped out of her cell, she asked me what kind of metal her chains were made from,” she said with a chuckle.

Anne weakly chuckled as well. Knowing her friends and adoptive family were safe, she could let herself relax a little.

“Besides,” said Sasha, stepping closer to Anne, “are you really in a position to worry about anyone other than yourself?”

“I always worry about the people I love...though I don’t think that you’d understand that.”

If that hurt Sasha, she didn’t let it show.

Now, Sasha was towering over Anne. The chained girl’s body was cast in her former friend’s shadow. She had to strain her neck to try to meet Sasha’s eyes, but the highest she could see now was Sasha’s smirking pink lips.

“And I don’t think you understand your situation. Do you really think it’s smart to talk to your jailer like that?”

Anne opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say a word, Sasha swiftly reached to her side to pull her sword out of its sheath and raise it over her head.

Anne only had time to squeak before the sword came down...

The sound of chains falling to the ground echoed off the walls.

Anne braved to open her eyes and watched as Sasha put her sword away. She looked to the ground and saw her chains broken, her arms and legs unbound. She blinked, confused, then looked back to her blonde friend.

“What, do you like looking at my boots? Stand up, I don’t want your body to get sore from sitting in chains. Trust me, I've been there, I know how much that sucks.”

Anne’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. She was being a little too nice right now, and there was something artificial about her tone that unsettled her. That being said, she stood up all the same, and Sasha smiled as she watched her rise.

“So, let’s cut to the chase: you lost, I won. Shocker! But you should’ve known that if it was my army against yours, you never really stood a chance. Especially not with the toads under my brilliant leadership.” 

She ran her gloved hand through her long blonde hair vainly, to accentuate the point.

“Now you’d think I’d want revenge that time you totally humiliated me with that sword fight from the last time we met, but that’s not the case at all! You’re still my friend, Anne...I want us to go home together, to see our families again, to just get back to normal. I mean, like, can you even imagine us going back to our world and still wanting to skewer each other with swords?” Sasha chuckled. “I personally can’t.”

“I want to go home too, Sasha, b—”

“So we agree on that. And we agree that none of us can be left behind. And therefore we all have to work together to get that stupid music box working. Right?”

“R-right...” Anne actually couldn’t tell now, was Sasha being genuine? 

“So let’s work together. Me, you, Marcy, Grime...and even your frog friends. We can get ourselves home again only if we all work together.” Sasha put a hand on Anne’s shoulder, her smile kind and inviting. “I guess what I’m saying is...let’s be friends again, Anne.”

Let’s be friends again, Anne.

In that moment, a million thoughts raced through Anne’s brain, each faster and more bursting than the last. Conflicting emotions clashed within her, warring titans of the heart and mind. 

Is this a trick? thought Anne. Or...or does she actually want to go back to being friends.

Everything Anne knew about Sasha was being tested here; every side of Sasha she had ever known, like a kaleidoscope, were brought to life in Anne’s mind. Sasha the Manipulative, Sasha the Bullying, Sasha the Cruel...but also Sasha the Friendly, Sasha the Caring, Sasha the Sweet. 

This was the girl who pressured her into stealing that music box...but also the girl who protected her from bullies. 

This was the girl who slashed at her with a sword, but also the girl who hugged her when she reunited with her here in Amphibia.

This was the girl who...the girl who nearly sacrificed herself because she thought it would be for her friend’s good.

For her good.

And beneath it all, beneath the cyclone of contradictory feelings and memories, there was a warmth that rested in Anne’s breast; a warmth that spread through her body only when she was with Sasha. A powerful, overwhelming warmth that made Anne’s heart beat, her skin flush, and her spirit relax when Sasha was with her.

When they were together, in school or in the park or walking side by side, hand in hand, down the sidewalk, Anne’s world felt complete.

A red blush spread across her face, and Anne shook it off and slapped her cheeks. When she looked back at Sasha, all the suspicion in her eyes was gone. She smiled warmly, gratefully, and before Sasha could stop her, she grabbed her ungloved left hand and held it tightly in her own.

Despite all her time in Amphibia, Sasha’s hand was still soft to the touch.

“Oh, Sasha!” exclaimed Anne joyfully, drawing her friend in for a hug. “I’m so glad we’re able to work things out like this. We can be friends again—me, you, Marcy, the trio united!—and then we can work on getting home and...and...this is awesome, dude!”

“It is, yeah,” said Sasha, gently removing herself from Anne’s grasp. “But before all that, I just need you to do one tiny, tiny thing for me.”

“Sure! What is it?”

Sasha’s eyes flashed a dark shade of scarlet, and her smirk grew.

“I need you to kneel for me.”

The torch in her hand flickered as she finished her sentence.

Anne blinked repeatedly. She looked confused. 

“Kneel?” she repeated.

“Yes, Anne. Kneel. Kneel before me,” ordered Sasha.

“What? Why?”

“Oh come on, Anne, you didn’t really think we’d be friends again after just a nice little chat, right?” Sasha’s eyelids twitched, and her smile became considerably more forced. “After you betrayed me? After you threw away our friendship? I extended a hand to you to join me and Grime, and you spit in it! And then you made me look weak in our sword fight...did you really think I’d forgive you so easily?!”

When she saw how fearful Anne suddenly looked, she recognized that she was losing her temper. She exhaled a deep, calming breath, and quickly combed her hair with her fingers. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have raised my voice,” she said, “but what you did to me...it hurt me, Anne. It made me wonder if you h-hated me.”

She covered her mouth when she heard her voice crack with emotion. She steeled herself before she dared speak again.

“So I want to make sure that you won’t backstab me like that again. And how better for you to show me that you won’t than by kneeling to me...”

A flurry of feelings passed through Anne’s mind. She grit her teeth and looked to her friend with pain in her eyes.

“Sasha...please...let’s not do this...”

With that, Sasha lost her patience. 

She tore her sword from its leather scabbard. She moved so quickly that the tips of her golden hair seemed to dance like flames. 

She pressed the metal blade to the side of Anne’s neck, so close that with just a flick of her wrist, she could behead her. 

When she spoke again, she spoke with deliberation.

“Kneel to me, Anne, or it’s over between us.”

“But—”

“End. Of. Discussion.”

Amphibia froze. The whole world held its breath as the two hurt girls stared into each other’s eyes.

For a moment, Anne was tempted. Her knees, already shaking, threatened to buckle and bend. It would be so easy—closing her eyes, she conjured images of the future from the hazes of her mind. She could see herself together with Sasha, smiling, laughing, just like before…

Just like before…

Anne then remembered their friendship before Amphibia. Not just the good, but the bad. She remembered bowing to Sasha’s whims, and being too afraid to even say “No”. 

She wanted so strongly to be Sasha’s friend again, but just as strongly to never go back to those days. She couldn’t go back to that, even if she wanted to. Not after Sprig, who taught her that in a true friendship, both friends were equals…

Anne opened her eyes again. Sasha could’ve sworn she saw blue sparks flying from them.

“No.”

Sasha scoffed incredulously. “No? No?!”

“You heard what I said. I won’t kneel,” said Anne firmly.

She then watched as her friend’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. Her pink skin flushed a furious red. Her grip on the torch visibly tightened.

“It’s those frogs,” she said in a low voice.

“What?”

“IT’S THOSE FROGS, ISN’T IT?!” screamed Sasha. “YOU’RE CHOOSING THEM OVER ME AGAIN!”

Her voice echoed through the jail, prisoners hooting and hollering in response, like wolves responding to the first wailing howl of the night with wailing howls of their own. 

Anne felt her heart speed up. “Sasha—”

“No, shut up.” Sasha turned away from her, dropping the torch on the ground, freeing her arms to cradle herself. The flames of the fallen torch burned dangerously close to stray strands of yellow hay that covered the floor, but Anne didn’t notice. 

Her focus was completely drawn to the shaking of Sasha’s back and arms. 

She opened her mouth to say something to her, but stopped when she heard the strangest thing:

“Why?”

That was Sasha’s voice. Warbled and...full of hurt.

Sasha turned around to her. Her features were screwed and flushed with color. But what struck Anne first—and struck her the hardest—were Sasha’s eyes, and the tears that flowed from them. 

“Why?” The croak was repeated. “Why can’t things just go back to normal? Why are you doing this to me? Why...why did we have to come here? I...I’ve gone through so much here, Anne. I spent weeks in chains, and spent weeks after that fighting all these gross monsters and bugs...and still none of that hurts as much as you now hating me—”

“That’s not true, Sasha! I don’t hate you!”

With a clenched fist, Sasha swiped at her tears. “Then why do you keep fighting me? Why do you keep humiliating me? Why do you keep r-rejecting me like this?”

Sasha hated this. She hated everything about this. She hated that Anne could see her crying. She hated that she was crying at all. She hated the pathetic warbles and cracks in her words. 

But most of all, she hated that she was losing Anne, and that she couldn’t stop it, and she didn’t know why.

She had to turn away again. This time, she fell to her knees, and hugged herself tightly. Her torch felt far outside of her reach. She was alone now, alone in this prison tower at night.

She felt so cold. 

She hugged herself even more tightly, but the chilly feeling had settled in her bones. Numbness swept over her skin, so that she couldn’t even feel the rivers flowing from her eyes anymore. 

The BFFs photo of her, Anne, and Marcy flashed in her mind, and Sasha wistfully wondered why they ever changed…

“Sasha...”

The gentle voice of Anne Boonchuy brought her back to reality.

Her friend’s hand perched on her shoulder. Her palm was warm, and from it heat flowed through her body again, banishing her inner cold.

Through blurry, tear-stained vision, Sasha could see Anne’s face. Where she had expected to see malice or cruel laughter, she saw only concern. Cautiously, Sasha raised her hand and put it on top of Anne’s. When their hands came together, their fingers moved on their own, interlocking with each other.

“Why, Anne?”

Anne bit her lip cautiously, hesitatingly, then sighed.

“A lot has happened since that music box brought us to Amphibia,” she started, “and during it all, I’ve changed. When I met Sprig...met the Planters...I learned what real friendship is like. And...I’m sorry but that’s not what we had before.”

Sasha looked down to the ground, her face cast in shadow.

“But that doesn’t mean I hate you, Sash.”

Her head shot back so quickly it nearly gave her whiplash.

“I still lik—no, I love you, Sasha. Despite all the stupid things you’ve done and all the stupid things I know you’re waiting to do, I still love you. I want to be with you, here in Amphibia and back home on Earth. I-I’m your friend, Sasha. Why c-can’t you see that?”

Now it was Anne’s turn to cry. She felt the water sting at her eyes until it began to pour out, but in spite of it all, she could only smile. 

“I said I didn’t want to kneel because...that’s not friendship, Sasha. I don’t know why you think it is, but it’s not. And I want to be your friend. Not your slave, not your servant...I want to be your friend.”

Sasha’s eyes widened, as if she were seeing divine glory descend before her in the form of her bushy-haired friend. Her words flowed smoothly into her ears, echoing and repeating, their message interpreted and reinterpreted by her mind like monks with their ancient texts.

“Anne, I...I didn’t...”

She trailed off, but Anne smiled and nodded all the same. 

"I know," she said tenderly. "I know you didn't."

Anne then stood up, and reached down to offer Sasha a helping hand up. Sasha accepted it without hesitation, letting the calloused fingers of her friend wrap around her wrist and pull her to her feet. Anne, still smiling gently, wiped tears from her eyelashes.

“Just promise me, Sash...promise me you’ll think about everything I said.”

Sasha didn’t answer at first. She bent down and retrieved the torch she had dropped, and carried it to an iron holder on the wall, where she placed it safely away from the dirty ground. She then returned to Anne, standing so close to her that she could feel her breaths washing over her face.

Then Sasha leaned in closer, closed her eyes, and kissed Anne.

Anne’s eyes widened as Sasha pulled back. Her features were touched by sadness. Her light red eyes couldn’t even dare meet Anne’s.

“Maybe one day, Anne,” she murmured sadly. “But not right now. I’ll only slip again soon into who I was...who I am. But maybe one day...maybe one day I’ll be good enough for you.”

Before Anne could open her mouth to say something to her, Sasha ran out of the jail cell. 

And just like that, she was gone.

For a while, Anne stood there, paralyzed with her hand cradling her burning face, right on the spot where Sasha’s lips had pecked her. She blinked rapidly, as if she were still trying to process that she had been kissed.

It was some time before she realized that Sasha hadn’t chained her up again. 

Nor did she close the cell door after she had left.


End file.
